Drywall can be damaged very easily. At times you may need to cut a hole in the wall to repair wiring or plumbing. Should this happen, it can be tedious to repair the hole. L.W. Winslow Painting, Inc will walk you through the steps to repair a hole in drywall, regardless of cause. We will break down the repair of small holes, large holes, and even ceiling repair.

How to Fix Small Drywall Holes

This method is for holes no bigger than 1 ½ to 2 inches in size.
Step 1. Begin by cutting the edge on a slant using a utility knife. This is important for the next step.
Step 2. You will use a putty knife and with painter’s putty, fill the hole in. You will need to fill the hole in with the putty until the patch is level with the wall. Let the putty completely dry before moving onto the next step.
Step 3. You may need to repeat filling the hole if the putty shrinks inward. If your dry wall has a texture, use a texture spray that matches.

How to Fix a Medium Punched Hole in the Drywall

For holes no bigger than your hand or that of about 5” x 5” in length.
Step 1. For this medium sized hole, you can use a drywall metal patch kit. Start by using your sand block to smooth the edges around the hole. Wipe the dust way from the hole with a damp cloth.
Step 2. With the metal repair patch, peel away the back papering of the patch and place it so the metal mesh is facing forward.
Step 3. With a wide blade putty knife, spread a drywall compound over the patch past the edges. Smooth the drywall compound at level, and as flat as possible. Let the compound dry.

How to Repair Large Drywall Holes

For holes in your drywall bigger than your hand, you will want to use this repair method.
Step 1. Measure the size of your hole by height and width. Then cut the replacement piece. Make sure the piece of drywall extends an inch or so past the measurement of the hole.
Step 2. Hold your replacement piece on top of the hole and draw an outline of it on the wall, like you would a stencil.
Step 3. With a drywall saw, cut out along your lines. Make sure to check before cutting for any electrical wiring.
Step 4. Cut two pieces of wood about two inches longer than the hole. Screw the wood inside the hole on the top and bottom of the hole. Put the screw in each corner to secure the wood. When placing the wood inside the hole, place the center of the wood on the edge of the cut so half of the wood is exposed. (It is recommended to use 2”x4”).
Step 5. With your replacement drywall piece, screw the drywall into the wood.
Step 6. With drywall mesh tape, cover the entire hole, then add the drywall compound as smoothly as possible.
Step 7. After the compound has had time to dry, use your high grain sand block to smooth out the wall. If the rest of your wall has a texture, apply the texture. You may need to gently sand the texture to match the rest of your wall.
Final step to any size hole – once your hole has been repaired, dries and is re-textured you can paint the patch.

Drywall, Painting & More in Amagansett, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Hampton Bays, Montauk, North Haven, North Sea, Noyack, Quogue, Shelter Island, Sag Harbor, Sagaponack, Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, Springs, Wainscott, Watermill, Westhampton, West Hampton Beach, New York

Drywall repair can be tedious when it comes to hiding the patch. Often, regardless of our best efforts, you will still notice your patch job. However, if you want a professional repair job were you will never notice the repair, contact L.W. Winslow Painting, Inc. We can repair drywall and make it look as good as new.